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The roar went on and on, shaking the furniture and rattling the many objects Evanna kept on shelves. The base sound was that of a dragon's furious call, the same one that had sent shadows fleeing; but I had also mixed in the howl of a wolf to shake things up and add a bit of disguise to the sound, so neither Mr. Tiny or Evanna would figure out what species it was right away. The end result was a haunting sound that bled through the walls and spilled out into the forest beyond. Even though I was the one making the roar, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I was stating my place in the world as an alpha predator.

Evanna slumped to the ground in a state of shock and the breath finally left my lungs completely. Gradually the room fell silent and the furniture stopped rattling. Right away I grabbed Harkat by the arm, spun him around and pulled him, limping back down the hallway. Though Evanna was stunned into silence, the fury I could feel building inside her was frightening and I knew there would be no waiting until morning. We had to run. Now.

"That worked!" Harkat said, trying to slow my brutal pace back to the bedrooms.

The blood dripping from newly opened wounds did not slow me as I wrenched open the door and threw open my desk drawers. "We have to go!" I said urgently. "That will work for all of five minutes and then we are dead!" I ripped the drawers all the way out of the desk in my haste to pull the contents on. I snapped my gloves on and flexed them twice, once to test the claws snapping out and then to make sure they went back in smoothly. "Go!" I hissed. "I won't faint in the minute it takes you to pack!" I snatched Mr. Tiny's jacket off the closet inside hook and wrapped both the feather and book inside it before setting all three things at the very bottom of the pack. Harkat left the room, finally understanding the danger we were in. I tossed clothing, blood bottles and everything else haphazardly into the bag, groaning as my leg and torso were stretched beyond what they should be. The anger I could feel in the other room was building like a storm, growing beyond all human proportions. I snapped open the bedroom door again and was met with the Little Person. I brushed past him, wobbling dangerously as I swung the backpack over my shoulder and slammed into Harkats room. He was almost done, and was zipping the back just as I burst in. "We have no more time," I informed him.

"Okay," Harkat said and wrapped an arm under me and we made our way down the hall. Right before the exit came into view the Little Person went another way, casting one last look at us.

"Good luck," I told him and with that we went our separate ways. We spilled out into the evening light and stumbled toward the edge of the wards toward the back of the house. I could smell the water and I held onto its power even as my head sagged toward my chest. Harkat dumped me on the ground and I barely had time to protest before he was back with the wheelbarrow, now empty. He heaved me inside, wheezing loudly and pushed me faster. The wheelbarrow bounced crazily over rocks, sticks and almost a few frogs. I let my head fall back and watched the sky zip by, ignoring the blood that had seeped through my bandages and was now collecting slowly on the bottom of the wheelbarrow. Another thought occurred to me and I struggled to sit up but ceased all movement when the wheelbarrow threatened to tip again. "Did the Little Person see our cuffs?" I asked urgently.

"I don't know," Harkat gasped. "We were wearing long sleeves and you didn't take off your shirt to get bandaged. So I doubt it."

The wards shone ahead, but at our backs I could feel the rage following us. When it suddenly shifted and began to move I banged on the side of the wheelbarrow. "Go! Go! She's coming!" I caught sight of the Little Person dashing down the lawn about fifty feet to our side and ahead; at the same moment the wheelbarrow caught air. I went flying out of it and landed hard, screaming in pain. The Little Person whipped his head around and tripped over a rock, also landing brutally and didn't move.

"Come on!" Harkat screamed and dragged me along until I got up and staggered after him, leaving the wheelbarrow behind as the wheel had been bent almost in half.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Little Person get up and shake his head blearily before running onward. He got to the wards first but I saw him standing just outside them watching us. The anger moved again and I felt it step out into the light. Behind us Evanna came into view, her body more wolf then human and she meandered toward us lazily, her fangs dripping with drool. I didn't look back after that and kept running, taking two regular steps for every three dragging, limping one. The wards flashed green around us and then we were spit out. The water scents shocked my nose and I fell back. Evanna was running full speed now and the Little Person had vanished. I pulled Harkat back and placed my hands against the wards, pushing the last bit of magic I had into it. I made the wards solid as a brick wall and sagged backwards. In saving our lives from Evanna I might have condemned us to a slower death by the cuffs. I had no more extra magic to get them off with now.

Evanna skidded to a halt inches from the wards and we stared at each other through them, her face lit up with green. Then she turned, snorting and started back to her home. It appeared she was too lost to notice that I had messed up the wards.

The rest of the way to the river we basically rolled down a hill right into it. The water soaking into my skin did help the pain, but I knew my magic was too locked to take real advantage of it. The only thing I could do was warm the water ever so slightly around us so we didn't freeze. We floated in silence for a while, until the forest gave way to large clearings and then finally farm fields. I stretched out my arm and steered toward the bank and waited until Harkat pulled himself up and helped me onto the grass.

"I think you need to make an image for yourself," Harkat said after a few minutes of silence.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Mr. Tiny is the all-knowing psycho. Evanna is the temperamental warrior. Both of them can walk into a place and hush the room with a glance." Harkat leveled his gaze at me while I struggled to sit up. "What are you?"

I shook ice clumps out of my hair. "They can quiet the room because they present their magic so openly. I don't have the luxury of doing so."

"Why not?" Harkat asked. "What is really stopping you? Harrison would be obliterated off the face of the earth if you chose to stalk him with all your power. Mr. Tiny and Evanna, even though they are completely bonkers would not kill another natural. Harrison thinks you are weak. Evanna thinks you are evil recarnated and Mr. Tiny…well who knows what he thinks. Don't you want to put an idea of your own choosing in their heads?" Harkat smiled challengingly. "Drop the illusions. Let your freak vampire-dragon flag fly free. If you are waiting for the right opportunity then do so, but don't let anyone dictate when you use magic."

It was a tempting idea, so tempting that my wings nearly flew free that second. "The perfect time," I said thoughtfully. "Mr. Tiny must know something is up. That means he might not come get us right away and try to investigate under cover." I stretched and got to my feet, careful not to put too much weight on my leg. "I am kind of bored," I said after awhile.

"So what do you want to do?" Harkat asked slyly.

"If Desmond Tiny comes, which he know doubt will then we will manipulate the manipulator," I said.

"What if we get into a fight?" Harkat said.

I smiled grimly. "Then no more hiding."

Together Harkat and I stumbled across barren farm fields, keeping up a brutal pace even though we were both starving and tired. We had to put distance between Evanna before even thinking of stopping. Harkats breathing hadn't gotten any worse, but it wasn't getting better either. At one point, when we had stopped to take a drink I had gone a little ways away to roll up my sleeves and wet the burns on my arms. What I had seen made me quickly pull my sleeves down. Dark purple lines were running up my arms, and I guessed that if I had chosen to remove my shirt they would have continued further. Now two hours later it was quite an odd feeling to sense that your body was sick. I could feel my body shutting down bit by bit as the cuffs magic did its work. For some reason being cut off from my magic was making me sick now, a completely different reaction then to the collar.

Every car that passed on the lonely roads I sniffed carefully as it passed. Even though my sense of smell was greatly diminished I would still be able to feel Mr. Tiny's magic. But the sun set without any sign of him. Eventually Harkat was mostly carrying me as I had lost too much blood and a fever had set in. Whenever my friend stopped moving the ground lurched sideways rather violently and I had almost thrown up several times. When we saw a barn in the distance we agreed silently to head for it.

The barn was filled with horses of varying sizes and colors. The loft was mostly filled with hay but Harkat carved out a niche in the back and hauled me up to it. The place was very secure as someone would have to climb the ladder and walk the length of the loft to find us behind a wall of hay. Harkat formed two beds out of hay and laid me on one. He carefully removed stuff from my backpack and put two spare shirts over my body which had begun to shiver again. When he offered me blood I turned my head away and clamped my lips shut. The thought of eating or drinking anything made bile come up in my throat.

"Its been days since you've drank," Harkat said and pushed the bottle closer.

"No," I croaked.

"When Mr. Tiny does come you will be attacking him," Harkat said.

I smiled wearily. "Well then we will know its him right?" While Mr. Tiny was smart he was also painfully predictable at times. I knew he would come incognito and probably pretend to be a doctor or something similar so he could offer medical help if needed. If anyone found us in the loft it would have to be him or the owner of the property.

"If you don't drink you will get even sicker," Harkat said worriedly.

"Take…care of yourself," I said.

"The cuffs are making you sicker then me," Harkat said. "I am fine."

I shook my head, hay crinkling under my ears. "It just might be affecting you slower. Tomorrow you could wake up suffocating."

The night wore on and the moon shone brightly through gaps in the wood slats of the barn. After awhile I noticed something rather alarming. The magic was draining away from my illusions rapidly and I wasn't able to hold onto it for other uses. At this rate my dragon, wings, tail and eyes would be exposed in less then an hour, along with anything else that had developed at Evannas. I told Harkat, loathe to disturb the Little Person out of the doze he had fallen into, but the moment I said what was happening he crouched next to me, probing the air around my shoulder blades.

"Will you be yourself?" Harkat asked after a careful examination of the air.

I shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I might be, but then again…" I sighed. "More likely I will be mostly human, but my personality along with my looks might be more animalistic."

"Ok," Harkat said taking the bad news in stride.

A wave of terror overtook me and I shuddered. "I don't want you to see my dragon!" I panicked. "You can't! Mr. Tiny can't! Nobody is allowed!"

Harkat patted me on the shoulder. "Calm down. Just tell me where you keep the dragon normally and I will make Mr. Tiny stay away from it."

"My right leg," I said before another problem arose. "My wings…" I said. "Neither of you can see them either!" The shame of anyone looking upon them, ruined and torn into strips would destroy me.

"I don't think I can help that if they are so big," Harkat said slowly.

"Please!" I begged.

"You know what happened wasn't your fault. Both of us had no control over what happened. I would never harm your dragon or wings and neither would Mr. Tiny even if he is a creep," Harkat said.

I tried to let Harkats words sink in. "Ok. Just help me take off my shirt please. My wings will try to burst through otherwise." The removal of my shirt was more like ripping it off but I didn't really care. The purple lines were crisscrossing my stomach, arms, collarbone and heading for my heart. The bandage the Little Person had made for my ribs was stained red and the lines headed under that too. Harkat did his best to replace the bandages but there was little he could do. The dragon was sent to my leg, as far down as possible and the entire time it moved was torture as it dragged the pain in a burning line down my body as it went. When it stopped the pain settled around my knee. The entire process took twenty minutes at least and I kept my hands balled into the hay. "Harkat can you see if there is a mirror or anything I can use as one? I want to see what I look like," I pleaded.

It took Harkat another ten minutes to return and when he did he held a small handheld mirror. It was cracked and covered with dust but a quick wipe fixed half the problem. I carefully put the mirror next to me and waited with my friend for the illusions to fall. I was scared, excited and curious all at the same time. For weeks I had kept myself under wraps and now I had little idea of what I actually looked like. But until the cuffs came off I would not be able to hide anymore; I would have to rely on Mr. Tiny's temperament.

"You…have…to run if I am…dangerous," I groaned. The pressure building on my back and on my eyes was almost unbearable but there was no more pain.

"I won't leave you."

"Promise me!" I said.

Harkat hesitated and then nodded.

My body snapped upright of its own accord and then I shook wildly, nearly smashing the mirror with one flailing foot. My vision turned blue and then I was weightless, but my muscles cramped spastically. One after another the illusions cracked and shattered; the first to fall was the one around my wings and then the others collapsed. I slumped back to the hay mattress; feeling feathers gather around my arms and opened my eyes.

Harkat was staring at me with undisguised astonishment. He mutely handed me the mirror which I took after staring at him warily.

I tilted the mirror until it got nearly my face in view and stared. For a moment I couldn't process it so I took a step back and viewed it like someone else was looking at me. The boy looking back had dark blue eyes with yellow slitted pupils, both narrowed in bewilderment. His hair color was the same, but blue feathers of varying light shades were scattered in his hair, concentrating at the back to brush the nape of his neck and his ears, which were pointed like an elf's. Behind him I could see his wings, torn into strips of worn feathers; most of which were stained red and bent backwards. The boy's fangs were also the same, but the rest of his front teeth had sharpened into slight points. I tilted the mirror down and gaped at the tail resting across the boys lap. The feathers on it were pale like in the boy's hair but they alternated shades within the feather itself, flowing like water on top of a calm lake. The tip of his tail had a plume of long dark blue, almost black feathers.

I slowly lowered the mirror. My tail twitched uneasily and I whipped it around, nearly hitting Harkat in the face before curling it up behind me.

"Are you alright?" Harkat asked.

I tilted my head and stared cautiously at the Little Person. After a moments consideration I deemed him a non threat and nodded.

"You were glowing blue," Harkat said and scooted across the floor to give my wings more space. He had not once looked at them.

I nodded again, unsure if I even remembered how to speak English. I licked my lips and noticed with some surprise that my tongue had become forked like a snakes. I nodded.

"Are you completely Shadow?" Harkat asked.

I frowned. I was still Shadow; I had not changed my identity in the last minute. So I nodded again with some confusion. A noise outside made me tuck my wings up the best I could and whip around, tail tip twitching. Someone was entering the barn and by the scent they were very angry.

"Is it Mr. Tiny?" Harkat whispered.

I sniffed again and shrugged. The scent did not match the man Harkat was asking about. I shook my head.

"Stay here," Harkat said sounding out his words very clearly. He got up and left our den in the hay.

I would have followed to protect my pack-mate but I was too weak, so I took stock of my new looks quickly and noted that while my dominant features were dragon my eyes and teeth shouted wolf. Dragon fangs were much bigger. The blood was still lying on the floor and I eyed it grudgingly. My stomach was rumbling and while I knew the sickness would make it taste horrible I had to drink in order to help my pack. I gingerly picked up a bottle and stared for a minute before remembering how to work bottle caps. I drank the entire thing in one go and threw the bottle across the hay loft when it was done. The blood had tasted like mud mixed with rotting carcasses but the strength I had just gotten was enough to power me into a standing position. I crept across the loft, my feet making no noise; I had wrapped my tail loosely around my waist to keep it from knocking over things. When I was just behind the ladder and a stack of hay I peered around to watch what was going on.

A portly man brandishing a pitchfork and flashlight was bellowing at Harkat, his cheeks red with effort. Even from up here I could smell the beer on his breath and see orange chip stains on his hands and overalls. It was hard to see how this man could have cared for the animals in his barn. "Get outta here," the man said and held out the pitchfork a little further. "I got enough strangers running around without you in here!"

Harkat was mostly hidden in the shadow of a tractor, his hood pulled up. To the fat man he would look like a hoodlum with a hoodie on. He had not gotten the chance to find his necklace so coming out of hiding would probably give the man a heart attack. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"There was another guy poking around my property!" The man bellowed. "Pudgy guy in a suit. Really the kind of thing people wear these days…! Sent him well on his way I did! The same will be for you!" The beam of light from the flashlight bounced crazily around the barn.

I crept along the edge of the loft until I was directly to the left of the man. So Mr. Tiny was lurking around somewhere. That didn't make the situation any less dangerous. But right now I was going to get my pack mate away from the filthy human.

"Just let me get my friend and we will go. He's sick," Harkat said trying to pacify the man.

"I'll send yer friend well on his way too! I want you out now!" The man roared and advanced on Harkat, pitchfork held out in front of him.

My lip curled. Humans think they have such a powerful growl. I knew I had to do something before the power from the blood ran out. I crouched low in the hay and found the wooden boards underneath the stuff, running my claws over it. The scraping noise that filled the barn would have sent the bravest soul running.

The man stopped dead and turned, shining his flashlight to where I was. His eyes were wide and beads of sweat dripped down his face. "If this is a joke I have no patience for it!"

I sent a bit of hay falling over the edge of the loft and growled softly, making more rustling and scraping noises.

"Maybe it's a raccoon," Harkat suggested in amusement. In the darkness I saw his hand move in a patting motion. He wanted me to stay like a good little dog.

"Raccoons don't growl boy!" The man said and puffed out his chest. "I am a hunter! I felled a bear once so come on! I aint afraid of you!"

I chuckled and launched myself off the loft, taking with me a massive amount of hay. I collided with the man and his weapon hard, taking the brunt of the landing on my bad leg. I howled but the sound only fueled the preys terror and he began to flail around so hard he kicked me in the ribs. I grunted and got off, pushing him backwards toward the barn door. Each pitch fork thrust I dodged, but the effort of dragging my nearly useless leg was draining.

"You freak!" The man said but his face had gone pasty white. He was stepping backwards so fast he didn't see the fourth person that had joined the party and walked right into him. I fled back into the hay loft so fast hay sprayed into the air.

"I told you to leave," the man blustered once he had turned to face the newcomer.

"No one tells me to go," Mr. Tiny said mildly and brushed a hand across the mans face.

The farmer crumpled to the ground and the meddler stepped over him, walking into the exact middle of the barn. "Harkat?" He called out. "Come here."

Harkat stepped out into the moonlight, scratched and dirty but not hurt anymore. "I'm here," he said and I saw him cast a glance around for me.

"Where is Shadow?" Mr. Tiny asked.

"He is…here. Sick, and injured but alive," Harkat said. The worry in his face betrayed how anxious he was about revealing my new looks.

"Both of you need to calm yourselves. I am well aware of Shadows wings and their current condition." Mr. Tiny looked amused and wiped his hands on his suit jacket, taking out his watch to check the time. "I have no intention of harming him. It was quite impressive to keep those hidden for so long." His eyes glinted. "I will enjoy figuring out how he ended up with them."

"It's a bit more complicated then that," Harkat said.

"Enlighten me," Mr. Tiny said patiently.

"There is a bit more then wings," Harkat said reluctantly.

I snorted, hiding the sound in the palm of my hand.

Mr. Tiny put his watch back into a pocket and sighed dramatically. "His heartbeat is up in the hay loft Harkat. So before I go up there and remove him explain yourself," he said beginning to sound annoyed.

Harkat shuffled from foot to foot and then groaned. "It's exactly what I said. There is more then just wings!"

Mr. Tiny snapped his head up and turned to glance in the direction I was in. There was no way he could have seen me but I felt like his eyes met mine. "I see." His voice was back to a tone of calmness now. He went to the hay loft ladder and climbed up, standing on the opposite side from me. But he began to walk around and the closer he got the faster my heart went.

There was nowhere for me to go. I was pressed against the corner and the blood had worn off, leaving me in a bad state. I was bleeding, feverish and kept forgetting how to understand English.

Harkat said something from below but I failed to wrap my head around the words. The more scared I got the harder it was to understand and I was just about as scared as one could get. The only thing I understood was the tone and Harkat sounded like he was begging. Of course there was no response from Mr. Tiny.

I only had to wait a moment before Mr. Tiny appeared from around the closest hay bale and his eyes settled on me. They widened and I got a genuine scent of shock from him. For a minute we just stared at each other, both of us weighing the other. I couldn't decide if Mr. Tiny was a threat or not so when his boot edged closer I growled. It slid backwards and I relaxed my puffed up wings slightly.

The farmer stumbled to his feet and since Mr. Tiny had cleared away some of the hay it only took a minute to see me. His eyes bulged out of his head and he whipped a gun out of his pocket. I had no idea why he hadn't used it earlier but when the bullet sank into the wood just above my head I quit thinking about it and tried to bolt past Mr. Tiny. Of course I didn't get very far as I was so slow and another bullet drove me back into the corner.

Again the farmer called to Mr. Tiny and the meddler answered back sounding annoyed. When a third bullet hit the wood next to my foot Mr. Tiny whipped out a hand and the farmer was thrown back. The crunch his body made hitting the wood was loud. He wouldn't be getting up again.

I stared at his broken body for a minute and turned back to Mr. Tiny who was speaking to me in a slow voice. I couldn't understand his words and sighed, immediately snarling when he tried to move.

Mr. Tiny studied me for another minute and whenever he looked at my wings I shifted uneasily. When he spoke again it was in a much deeper tone of voice and I could understand him. "Shadow?" He said it more as a question.

I tilted my head.

Mr. Tiny smiled like his suspicions had been confirmed and took three large steps forward, ignoring my fury and hauled me up. He paid no attention to my fangs just missing his arms and floated down to the main area of the barn, passing Harkat who followed in step. The farther from the barn we got the more my head sagged until I was no longer trying to bite Mr. Tiny. Instead I let myself fall unconscious; trusting my pack- mate would keep me alive until I woke up.

My hand closed around Mr. Tinys throat the moment I woke up, claws digging into his soft skin. Luckily the gloves had been removed or I would have removed his head from his body. Over his shoulder Harkat gave me a quick smile and thumbs up; I forced my fingers to relax and my arm thumped back to the bed heavily, bouncing slightly before my hand closed into the blankets.

"Excellent reflexes," Mr. Tiny commented and straightened from where he had been bent over the side of my bed, peering at the bloody spot on my ribs, hands folded behind his back. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the five cuts on his neck.

I said nothing, content to string Harkat and Mr. Tiny along with the assumption I could not speak. Instead I leveled Mr. Tiny with my best unimpressed look and he chuckled. The man seemed to have gotten over his initial shock and was back to being vague as usual. Sitting up I made to swing my legs over the side of the bed, but when Mr. Tiny twitched-to give me a hand I guessed- I jumped back, slammed against the wall and curled up into a growling ball of anger.

Mr. Tiny looked mildly discontented and shuffled backwards a few feet. His eyes were narrow with contemplation, but they had none of the strange gleam in them.

Only when he had nearly gone to the other side of the room did I uncurl and glare at him suspiciously. Mr. Tiny had come far too close to putting his hand on my elbow, right where the dragon's tail tip was currently resting. While I tolerated people touching me now I would greatly prefer if nothing did ever again. I watched Mr. Tiny sit down in a fluffy white chair and place his arms deliberately on the armrests, thumbs tapping on the fabric soundlessly. His "harmless grandfather" act was coming on strong.

"Shadow it's alright," Harkat said coming toward me with his palms out.

I eyeballed the Little Person but let him untangle the blankets from my legs. The blankets around my wings I shredded into pieces without looking back (I had no wish to see my feathers) so nobody could try to help. I tried to saunter into the bathroom like nothing was wrong, but the walk was ruined by searing pain in my thigh and ribs that reduced me to limping along like an invalid, trying to keep my back to the wall so my wings were mostly hidden. Only when I was in the bathroom and looking in the mirror did I notice my wings felt slightly different then before. The smaller strips were all bandaged and the two largest pieces were cleaned of blood and the feathers had been unbent. I stormed out of the bathroom breathing heavily and pointed at Mr. Tiny and Harkat and turn then gestured furiously to my wings. Harkat had promised!

"Mr. Tiny is going to try to heal them. You could fly!" Harkat said excitedly.

I shot a look at Mr. Tiny who inclined his head ever so slightly. "That is correct. The process will be long however because of your wings fragile nature. But in time you will fly," he said, sounding very proud of himself.

I shook my head violently. "No," I ground out, unable to keep from voicing my very strong opinion. "No one touches them! Ever!"

"I have already started the healing process. Tonight the bandages will be removed, your wings washed and then more magic will be applied. Stopping the healing before it even begins will do more harm then has already been done. I have already tended to them once and I will not cease," Mr. Tiny said bluntly.

"NO. I refuse!" I said.

Mr. Tiny's smile grew wider. "You are in no position to deny me anything." He smirked. "Besides you didn't seem to mind the last time."

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "I was unconscious!" The idea I could enjoy anything to do with my wings was ridiculous.

Mr. Tiny sat up and adjusted his suit at the front, making me jump. "I do believe the closest thing humans have to what you experienced yesterday was a shoulder massage," Mr. Tiny said solicitously. He looked like he genuinely thought his words would help.

Blood seeped through the gaps in my fingers; I was so angry I had no words to express it. I turned on my heel and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door so hard the top of it cracked. I sat on the toilet and put my head between my knees, trying to force back the nausea that had come up from the sheer pain. Someone knocked on the door and then entered without me saying a word. A green boot stepped into view and I snarled.

"I think we need some quality time," Mr. Tiny said and the tone of his voice made me shudder.

I looked up at him and right as Mr. Tiny reached for me my heart almost stopped. Harkats scent was fading from the place we were in. He was almost certainly not here anymore. I shoved Mr. Tiny backwards and astonishingly he landed in the tub, feet flying up above his head; at another time I would have burst out laughing at the sight but now I was too busy stumbling out of the bathroom. "Harkat!" I cried. "Harkat!"

Mr. Tiny came out of the bathroom, suit rumpled and his hair sticking up in odd directions. He didn't look angry but he certainly wasn't happy. "I sent him away," he said and crossed his arms.

My tail whipped out, knocking all the bandages off the side table. Strangely my arms had never been bandaged and even worse the cuffs were still on, so when Mr. Tiny grabbed me by the wrist I doubled over and cried out in pain. "Stop it!" I said. I was surprised when Mr. Tiny released me right away.

"You are not injured there?" Mr. Tiny said, looking at his hands like he thought they might have burned me.

I sent him an incredulous look. "Are you joking?" I asked angrily.

Mr. Tiny scowled. "I do not joke. Explain yourself."

I held up my arms and waved them in front of Mr. Tiny. "Do you not see my raw arms with barely any skin on them? They are bleeding too! And the cuffs around my wrists?"

"Cuffs?" Now Mr. Tiny sounded not quite concerned but there was something there.

"Yes! Evanna put them on both Harkat and I!"

"I knew of Harkats and I already removed them," Mr. Tiny said. He stared at my arms and grabbed one hand, turning my palm over. His fingers traced the skin on my wrist and when he caught the edge of the cuff frowned. His finger glowed and there was a bright flash of light. "Ah," he said. "There they are." But when his gaze settled on the purple lines running from the cuff his eyes narrowed. They kept narrowing as he followed the lines to where they had nearly reached my heart until I wondered how he was even able to see. "Well that certainly won't do," he murmured and wrapped his hands around the cuffs and muttered something under his breath. When the last syllable left his lips the cuffs began to glow bright red then cracked and fell off my wrists.

I had a split second of joyful relief before my body shook and I fell to the floor. The magic was furious. It wanted to escape and wreck havoc on the surroundings and anyone in it. I struggled to hold it back and seized wildly; much more violent then when my illusions had fallen. My fangs sank into flesh at one point and instead of opening my mouth I ripped free. When the tremors stopped I opened my eyes and looked straight into Mr. Tinys. I recoiled, or at least tried too. The man was practically sitting on me. My tail hit him in the back of the head before he got off.

Mr. Tiny picked up the ruined pieces of the cuffs and examined them closely. His eyes kept drifting back to me, completely unconcerned to my plight of not being able to sit up. He looked almost as shocked as when he had first seen me in the barn. But his expression smoothed over faster then lightning and he turned to me. "You are still coming with me as this changes nothing in my plans. In fact they have only cemented them further."

I gripped the edge of the bed and hauled myself upright. The purple lines were fading away but my anger was doing quite the opposite. "Where is Harkat?"

"Always with the questions!" Mr. Tiny complained.

"Answer me!" I snarled.

Mr. Tiny sighed. "He is at the Cirque Du Freak. Not that you would remember them, but he is in perfectly good hands. I will of course continue to send him solutions to his nightmares." He rubbed his hands together and smiled at me, looking genuinely excited.

"I won't go anywhere with you," I said.

"You are still feverish, bleeding and sick. Under what power would you keep me from taking you?" Mr. Tiny asked challengingly.

I stared at him silently.

"As I thought," Mr. Tiny hummed and pulled me upright; ruffling my hair gently. "Don't worry. You and I will have plenty of fun."

The world spun away and when I could see again our surroundings were completely different. I was sitting in the passengers' seat of a van with my backpack on the floor between my feet. A blanket covered most of my lower body and the radio was already on. Mr. Tiny sat in the driver's seat checking his reflection in the mirrors. I twisted around and looked at the back of the car. The two rows of seats behind me had been laid down and turned into a bed of sorts with lights stuck onto the sides of the car. There were two sets of blankets and pillows and over the seats was the rug I had slept on in the tent. I turned back to look out the window and pressed my cheek against the cool glass, enjoying the cold against my still hot face. Whatever the purpose for this impromptu road trip I highly doubted it was a good one.

"I mentioned Harkat was in good hands," Mr. Tiny commented and the car pulled onto the road. When I didn't answer him he chuckled good-naturedly. "Well so are you."

I snorted loudly.

"Believe me or not I do not intend to harm you," Mr. Tiny said.

"I don't believe you," I said viciously.

"Perhaps now," Mr. Tiny said. "But later you will." He turned the wheel as we got onto the highway.

"I doubt it," I muttered.

Mr. Tiny made to move my tail off the gears and I whipped it away. "Maybe you will when you fly," he said conversationally. "Or when your sleep is not disturbed by night horrors."

"Your "cures" have done nothing," I spat. Nothing but silence met this and I smiled, pressing my face back against the glass; I had removed it to answer Mr. Tiny. Other cars drove by and I wondered if any of them saw the strange boy in the passenger seat. If they did what would they think? Just their imagination? Or maybe contacts?

"I was misinformed earlier. However, I now have the necessary information to assist you," Mr. Tiny said.

"Really? What information?" I asked bleakly and started drawing in the windows condensation.

"That would be telling," Mr. Tiny said cheerfully.

I finished the drawing with one final swoop of the finger and studied it critically. It was supposed to be a face but the eyes were all wrong. I wiped my hand across it and the picture was gone. "Secrets don't make one trustworthy," I said.

"Did I say trust me?" Mr. Tiny asked. "I said believe."

I hardly wanted to get into now. "To make someone believe you won't hurt them means they have to trust you. I don't trust you."

"Explain to me what trust is from your perspective," Mr. Tiny said.

Fully knowing this information would be used to manipulate me later I conceded and told him. "Well, for one having absolute certainty that the person would never hurt you on purpose. Being able to act vulnerable and show emotions you wouldn't around other people. In more brutal terms…knowing that you could sleep around them and they wouldn't slit your throat for the bit of cash you have." I felt a bit awkward after saying all that.

Mr. Tiny made a noise in the back of his throat and put the blinker on, scowling at the person to our left who would not speed up to let us get over. "So do you trust anyone?"

"Harkat," I said immediately.

"Why? You barely know him," Mr. Tiny said inquisitively.

"I have the ability to read people. I can tell almost right away if they are a threat or not. Harkat was on the safe side," I explained.

"And where am I?" Mr. Tiny asked in amusement.

I picked at the seat cushions. "I don't know," I said honestly.

"Really?" Mr. Tiny sounded proud of that.

"Somewhere between run in the opposite direction and follow him to the ends of the earth. Harrison is easily on the run away side but you I can't read," I amended.

"I intend to fix that," Mr. Tiny said.

"Good luck," I said and turned on my side, pulling the blanket higher.

"I would say thank you, but I do not need luck," Mr. Tiny said. He pushed two small white pills in my face without looking away from the wood. "Take these for the fever."

I took the pills and swallowed them after sending a bit of magic in to check if they would harm me.

"You do trust me somewhat," Mr. Tiny said the second I had taken the medicine.

"Why would you say that?" I questioned.

"Those pills could have been anything," Mr. Tiny said smugly.

I grinned and turned to face Mr. Tiny. "I knew they weren't poison."

"How could you possibly know?"

I rolled back over, no longer smiling. "If you had my trust you would know exactly how I knew." My eyes unfocused as I watched the countryside fly past.

"Someday you will tell me," Mr. Tiny said.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But forcing your healing on my wings is a damn good way to keep that from ever happening."

"I am doing it for your own good," Mr. Tiny said in a tone that invited no argument.

I fell silent and refused to respond to Mr. Tiny's jibes that grew increasingly annoying. Finally I pulled the blanket over my head and bandaged wings completely, carefully adjusting my still raw arms and tried to shut out his voice.


R&R please?